This month's hot special

Sign up for the Databias Hosted Exchange service before the end of March and get 1 month free of charge. In addition to this we are willing to throw in 3 months of free email archiving for each mailbox, all on an evaluation 'no-strings-attached' basis. Contact us now for more details on this amazing offer.

Databias' Partners:

What's in the next issue?

Email Archiving - never lose an email again, ever.

Contact Us Today:

Email: info@databias.co.za
Tel: +27 028 316 1981
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Issue 2 | 21 February 2011

The last 3 months have been exceptionally busy for the team here at Databias, so much so that I think we are even a little late with our quarterly bulletin. Nevertheless, this month we have packed even more information and links into our newsletter that I know you will find both useful and informative.

If you missed our first missive on the benefits of Hosted Exchange 2010 please click here for a web version. Otherwise, grab a cup of your favourite hot stuff and read on; we know you'll enjoy!

Best wishes,

Matt Faircliff (matt@databias.co.za)
Managing Member - Databias | Enhanced Internet Services

Featured Article

BlackBerry Enterprise at your service
by Jessica Faircliff

With the advent of smartphones, people's lives have become ever more a slave to communication. Not only has the telephone become mobile and what's more, pocketable, so has the computer and with it, email, web browsing and social networking. We are all constantly online, in touch, available and at work.

However, if used correctly a smartphone can free you from your desk and allow multi-tasking in the work place at an all new level. Enter the BlackBerry and the iPhone, the two leading contenders in the smartphone category. For Mac users the iPhone is a fantastic social tool with a powerful multimedia aspect and apps galore for sale online at the Apple store. However for the serious business entity, the BlackBerry has it all, and more.

About BlackBerry Enterprise
BlackBerry is a Canadian produced smart phone developed and manufactured by publicly listed Research in Motion. The BlackBerry is a phone, a messenger (email, SMS, MMS, WhatsApp, BlackBerry Messenger to name a few), a Personal Information Manager (contact and calendaring) as well as a web browser, a GPS, a camera and almost any other app you can find.

BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) is what it's name intimates; a server platform which allows for ultimate control over a business' BlackBerrys, wherever they may be. Not to be confused BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS), which simply offers internet connectvity from your phone at a fixed monthly rate, BES is specifically geared for enterprise as it allows a level of control over roaming devices that other solutions do not. It integrates with most major email servers (such as Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes and Novell Groupwise), is licensed per user and allows for complete control of all activated BlackBerry devices via granular policy settings. BIS is the only pre-requisite of BES (apart from a BlackBerry phone itself) and is available from your cellular service provider as a 'bolt onā' product to your current cellular package.

What functionality does it offer?
BES allows users to integrate their BlackBerry smart phone with their Outlook mail clients (much the same as most other ActiveSync enabled phones do). What this means is that all mail folders (including sent items) are centralized and so, as a mail is read, replied to and filed, on either your computer or BlackBerry, so it is reflected on all other devices connected to the relevant email account. All contacts are synced between the phone and your personal Outlook contacts list and vice versa in real time. Calendaring is in the same manner seamlessly integrated between your phone and Outlook.

Where BlackBerry stands apart from all other smart phones is it's centralised control and security over all your company's phones using the BlackBerry Enterprise Server platform. BES allows you to enforce usage policies on some or all of your company's BlackBerry smart phones by allowing control over individual user's use of their phone. Amongst other things, an administrator can allow or disallow the sending of SMS'es / MMS'es, the receiving or sending of emails, the ability to receive or make phone calls or the use of the device as a modem. In addition, remote wiping of lost / stolen devices gives your company's information added security.

Applications (or apps) also play a large role in the BlackBerry appeal . Although similar apps are likely also available for other devices (with iPhone claiming the largest amount of available apps), BES allows IT administrators to push new apps or updates to all connected devices at any time. Coupled with the ability to securely access network drives and files from any BlackBerry the applications can provide a significant productivity boost to the mobile professional.

Why use Databias' Blackberry Enterprise Server
As the business that supports your business, Databias now offers a BlackBerry Enterprise Server solution to all our clients. The benefits of this in terms of security, ease-of-use and effort saved through automated syncing is very powerful indeed.

BES is available via the Databias Hosted Exchange package as a free add-on. We are currently offering a 1 month, no-strings-attached Hosted Exchange trial for anyone who is interested in test driving this amazing connectivity solution. The control is in your hands with Databias' BES. Let us make your life simpler, together.

Site Spotlight

YouSendIt - www.yousendit.com

Most people have heard of YouSendIt but few of us have unleashed the true potential of this online application. A free account allows you to upload up to 100MB of data and upon completion email selected people with the link to download the file. No more clogging up corporate email servers with large files. The paid for version increases the upload limit and adds a myriad of additional features such as branding, an Outlook plug-in, a developer API and Microsoft Active Directory support.

App of Note

Google Maps for Mobile - m.google.com/maps

Most BlackBerrys come with a mapping application preloaded, but lets be honest, it's not the greatest. Thankfully, software giant Google has come to the rescue with the aptly named Google Maps for Mobiles. It's another freebie and with it you can never use the 'I got lost' excuse again.

Tip of the Day

Ok, so we wanted to give you more than one tip, and this time it is all about managing your shared calendars and contacts in Outlook. If you haven't yet shared your calendar with your colleagues or respectful other, follow the below links and you will wonder why you didn't do it sooner!

Share your Exchange calendar in Outlook 2010
Open another person's Exchange calendar
Open another person's Exchange Tasks
Share your Exchange contacts folder with others

Quote of the Day

"You have to understand when it's time to put the phone or the BlackBerry down and have a face-to-face. That's a key moment of transition." - Robbie Blinkoff